Tree Hill: Seventeen Years Later
by AML15
Summary: Brooke and Peyton have been through so much as friends and together they've come out stronger, but one moment could prove to be too much for them as they face the possibility of losing their daughters. Brulian and Leyton and next generation of Tree Hill.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! **

**Author's note: Just an idea I had to write down to get it out of my head. I've been wanting to do a future fic for a while. Here's all the newer characters (the kids):**

**Leyton's kids:**

**Anna Elizabeth Scott - 17**

**Keith Nathan Scott - 15**

**Harrison Roe Scott - 13**

**Sawyer Joy Scott - 8**

**Brulian's kids:**

**Sam Walker (adopted)  
**

**Michelle Evelyn Baker - 16**

**Rowan Avery Baker - 16 (adopted)  
**

**Carson Davis Baker - 13**

**Lauren Penelope Baker - 10  
**

Chapter One

"Hey Aunt Brooke." Anna Scott greeted as she entered her best friend's house. "Where's Michelle?"

"Hey Girly. She's in her room getting ready." Brooke Davis-Baker was still amazed at how much Anna Scott looked exactly like a young Peyton Sawyer. The only difference was her smile that she got from Lucas. Anna turned to head up the stairs when Brooke stopped her.

"What? No hug for your favorite Aunt?" Brooke teased. Anna laughed and gave Brooke a quick hug.

"Sorry. I'm in a hurry to get to the movies on time since your daughter always makes us late."

"Well, she must get that from Julian because I am _never_ late."

"Uhuh. What about that time you were late to my birthday party?" Anna said with a smile, knowing Brooke couldn't deny it.

"Hey, aren't you in a hurry or something?"

Anna turned to leave and headed up the stairs to Michelle's room. With Brooke and Peyton so close, the girls had naturally become best friends like their mothers, even though Anna was a year older. Haley's daughter Sophie was about the same age as Michelle and often hung out with the two, but today just Anna and Michelle had plans to go see a movie.

The two hurried down the stairs and said a quick goodbye to Brooke.

"seriously, Michelle you take way too long to get ready." Anna teased as they got in the car. "We'll miss the first part of the movie."

"If I was driving, we wouldn't miss any of it." Michelle responded.

"That's because you drive like a maniac."

Anna backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. She could see a red light about a block away, but to her delight, it turned green just as she was starting to slow down. She pressed in the gas, hoping to make up some on the open road that had been spent at Michelle's. She was too focused on getting to the movie on time that she didn't see the other car also trying to save some time… by running a red light.

**Well, what do you think? Sorry it's kinda short, but if you like it, I'll make longer ones.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here's the next installment. Hope you like it. Thanks for the reviews!! Also I forgot to give the names of Naley's kids so here they are:**

**James Lucas Scott - 22**

**Sophie Lynn Scott - 16**

**Brandon Lee Scott - 15  
**

* * *

Chapter Two

"Peyton!" Brooke rushed over to her friend and hugged her tight. Peyton was squeezing her so hard in return it was getting difficult to breathe. Julian and their three youngest kids came up behind Brooke. The phone call from the hospital had been terrifying and it still seemed surreal. Could both their daughters really be fighting for their lives right now? Brooke had just seen them healthy and happy half an hour ago. The look on Peyton's face told Brooke she was just as terrified. Julian led them over to a seat in the waiting room.

"What's going? Did they tell you anything? Are the girls alright?" Brooke questions came rushing out as she struggled to hold her tears in check. Peyton let out a small sob.

"I haven't heard much of anything, just that they are both in surgery right now." Peyton's voice dropped to a whisper. "It sounds bad, Brooke."

Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand. "They are going to make it." Brooke said firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Peyton. Just the thought of losing Michelle was impossible to comprehend. Brooke looked over at Julian. Michelle had been the first child they had together. She was the very thing Brooke had wanted for years. The joy she felt when she first held that sweet baby girl for the first time was immeasurable. "She's going to make it." Brooke whispered to her husband. Julian's eyes locked with hers and she could see the desperation in his eyes. He needed Michelle to be ok too. Brooke turned back to her best friend.

"Where are Lucas and the kids?" Brooke urgently wanted to know. How could Peyton be here all alone?

"Keith and Harrison are at basketball practice. I was going to tell Luke to pick them up and bring them over here, but he took Sawyer to the park and I can't get a hold of him." Tears began to fall from her eyes. "I need him here, Brooke." She whispered. "I can't be here by myself."

"You're not alone." Brooke put her arm around Peyton. "I'm right here with you."

Julian stood up and pulled out his cell. "I'm going to call Nathan and Haley. One of them can pick up the boys. Then I'll keep trying Lucas until I reach him."

Peyton murmured a quiet thanks for his help. Brooke knew he was also doing this to keep himself occupied so he wouldn't spend all his time worrying. As Brooke held on to Peyton, she saw her thirteen year old son Carson put his arm gently around ten year old Lauren to comfort her. Sixteen year old Rowan sat off to the side from everyone and tried to hide her silent tears. They all looked so scared and Brooke would have done anything at that moment to make them feel ok again, but she herself was frightened too.

* * *

"Sawyer Joy Scott!" Lucas called to his eight year old daughter. "Come on, Baby. We should go soon."

Sawyer's dark curls bounced as she skipped along the playground. "Daddy, can I please go on the glider a few more times?"

"Alright. A few more times, then we go."

"Then ice cream?" Sawyer pleaded with an adorable smile.

"Sure."

Sawyer leapt for joy then raced to the glider. Peyton always said that Lucas spoiled Sawyer relentlessly but he continued to do so anyway. Sawyer was affectionately called the "surprise baby" by the family, being born five years after their youngest son Harrison. They gave her the middle name Joy and she had fully lived up to the name by bringing so much joy into her parents' lives.

When she had finished with the glider, Sawyer ran up and placed her small hand in Lucas' big hand. "I'm ready for ice cream, Daddy."

Lucas walked with Sawyer to the car, secretly looking forward to the ice cream himself. With his older children in their teen years, he was spending more one on one time with Sawyer on the weekends. He was learning to hold on to these precious moments while they lasted because pretty soon Sawyer would be seventeen like Anna and too busy with school, friends, and her social life to do anything with Dad. When Lucas got in the car, he realized that he'd left his cell in the car and decided to check it.

"Twelve missed calls?" Lucas dialed his voicemail to see why Peyton and some others had called.

"Luke…" Lucas froze at the sound of Peyton's voice. Something was seriously wrong. "Luke, there's been an accident. Anna and Michelle are in the hospital. Please get over here Lucas. Please." Peyton's voice broke after that and the message ended. Lucas was still in shock when the next message started.

"Lucas, its Julian. We really need you here at the hospital. Peyton needs you."

"Hey Luke, its Haley. Look, don't worry about the boys. I'm going to pick them up right now. Just get to the hospital as soon as you can, ok?"

Fear and Panic were quickly taking over as his heart beat faster and faster. Peyton's voice came back on.

"Baby, where are you? I'm so scared, Luke. They haven't told us how Anna's doing. She's still in surgery. God, if anything happens –" Lucas could hear the sound of a few sobs escaping her throat as she struggled to continue. "Please get here, Luke."

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Sawyer's worried voice pulled Lucas back to reality. He wasn't aware that he had been silently crying.

"We can't get ice cream today, Sawyer. Something bad happened to Anna and we need to go make sure she's ok." As Lucas pulled away from the park, he hoped he would be focused enough on the road to get to the hospital safely. The thought of his daughter's life in danger was almost too overwhelming to allow him to function. Looking over at his other daughter, he promised himself he wouldn't let anything happen to her, no matter how sick with worry he was.

**Keep reviewing and I'll keep posting **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to those of you who wrote review! I really appreciated those. **

Chapter 3

Peyton paced the floor of the waiting room, all the while thinking of her oldest daughter. This very hospital held so many painful memories. Her mom had died here because of a car accident and Lucas had nearly lost his life the same way. She had already outlived two mothers, but would she outlive her own daughter? Could she even survive that if she did? Peyton folded her arms around her midsection. She would give anything to see Anna right now, to hold her hand and tell her she loved her. Peyton suddenly stopped pacing as a thought struck her. She couldn't remember what her last words were to Anna. Had they been "I love you"? Did she give her a hug before she left the house? Had Peyton even said anything? She couldn't remember.

Her eyes flew to the hospital door where beyond that Anna was no doubt in an operation room. "Baby, you got to pull through this." Peyton wanted to say. Keith had been watching Peyton anxiously since he arrived. Seeing her frozen in the place with a stricken look on her face made him stand and go to her.

"Mom" He said softly. Peyton turned to her son who was the mirror image of Lucas, save his kind brown eyes that resembled his Great-Uncle Keith's. "You should sit down, Mom. I'm worried about you."

Peyton gave a sad smile in spite of her overwhelming concern. "I'm fine. Just – just make sure Harry is ok."

Harrison raised his head slightly at the mention of his name. He had dark brown hair and eyes like his grandmother Karen, but otherwise he looked like Lucas, especially now with his tortured expression. "I'm ok, Mom. Don't worry about me." Harry said unconvincingly. Peyton shook her head and beckoned Harry towards her. How had she ended up with two sons who would put aside their own suffering to give her less reason to worry? With Keith at her side and Harry now in front of her, she wrapped both boys in an embrace. "I love you both so much."

"I know." said Harry. "And Anna knows you love her too." He surprised her by saying. Peyton silently marveled at how much she and Harry thought the same way. She leaned in and kissed the top of his head, which was past her shoulders now. Her children grew too fast. Would she be able to finish watching Anna grow into an adult?

"Peyton."

She spun around and nearly collapsed with relief at the sight of Lucas hurrying towards her with Sawyer at hand. Instead she willed herself to move forward until she was crushed in his embrace. With her husband holding her tight, she buried her head in his shoulder and was finally able to cry for the first time without holding back.

When Peyton finally calmed, Lucas pulled back, placed his hands on the sides of her face, and looked into her troubled green eyes.

"Have they told you anything yet?" He needed to know.

"No." said Peyton. "She's still in surgery."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. They just said Anna and Michelle got in an accident with another car. We don't know how or why. Luke, what if she doesn't make it? I can't... I need her... "

"Peyton, don't. Don't talk like that."

"I can't help it. All of this just makes me realize I can't survive if I loose one more person I love. She's our daughter and she's got too much ahead of her for it to be over now." Peyton paused to wipe away a few stray tears and try to collect herself again. "Remember when she was born? I'll never forget that feeling I got when I heard her first cry and held her in my arms. I knew at that moment that it was real and not just a marvelous dream. We had a daughter. I'll also never forget the look on your face when you held her. Luke, that was the start of some of the happiest days of our lives. What if that's all about to be taken away from us?" Lucas was fighting back tears as he pulled Peyton into his arms. Up until this moment he'd been trying to keep his thoughts positive, for the kids' sakes, but with what Peyton had just said, the fear and trepidation in his heart was beginning to control his thoughts. Was his daughter, his firstborn child, going to die?

"Come on, Peyton. You should sit down." Lucas said, realizing Peyton had probably been pacing since she arrived and needed to rest. Lucas observed Brooke and Julian fro the first time since he'd showed up. Both looked like a wreck. Next to Julian, Lauren had slipped her arm through her dad's and rested her head on his shoulder. Carson was watching the door with uneasiness and occasionally glanced at his sister with concern. At the end, Rowan sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped firmly around them. Her head rested on top of her knees with a dejected expression on her pretty face.

Lucas was about to take the spot next to Keith when he noticed a doctor come through the door and start in their direction. Lucas froze. Was that Anna's doctor or Michelle's? Lucas tried to read his expression, but the doctor gave nothing away. It didn't really matter, they would know soon enough. In a minute, they would get the best or worst news of their lives.

**My week is looking pretty busy so I might not post the next one until the weekend, but please keep the reviews coming! They inspire me.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey thanks again to those who wrote reviews! You guys are awesome.  
**

Chapter Four

The doctor paused in front of the big group. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott?"

"That's us." Lucas spoke up.

"Your daughter is out of surgery. She's in critical condition but she's stable. She has several broken ribs and her lung was punctured by them. Her wrist is also broken and she has a concussion. She's in recovery right now."

She's going to be okay?" Peyton asked, feeling the slightest bit of hope for the first time. The injuries were serious, but Anna was a strong kid. Maybe she was going to pull through.

"Her condition looks promising. We've done everything we can; it's all up to her now."

Peyton locked eyes with Lucas and wanted to weep with relief. Anna was going to live.

"Is she awake? When can we see her?" Peyton knew if she could just see Anna's face, she could relax and feel calm for once.

"She's still unconscious, but a nurse will come find you if she wakes up."

Lucas sat up a little straighter. "_If_ she wakes up?

"Like I said, her recovery looks promising, but she did just undergo a major surgery and is dealing with a head trauma. Nothing is completely certain right now."

The doctor began to walk away, but Julian stopped him. "What about our daughter Michelle?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't operating on her. As far as I know, she's still in surgery."

Silence fell over the group as the doctor left. Anna had made it through surgery, but her immediate future was still unsure. Michelle had yet to make it over the first hurdle of recovery.

"I'm going to call my mom and give her the update." Lucas said quietly, standing to his feet and walking away.

"You should give Jamie a call, too." Haley said. "He hasn't heard anything since we called him a few hours ago. It's killing him to be so far away right now."

Lucas nodded and left the room to find a quiet place to call. Karen and Andy were in New Zealand and were planning on visiting in a month. In light of the recent news, they had been working on moving the visit sooner. Whether or not Anna pulled through, Karen knew Lucas and Peyton would need someone to help get them through the next few weeks. Karen had already been in the same situation when Lucas got in an accident. Reliving it with her grandchild was still just as bad.

When Lucas hung up with his mom, he dialed his nephew. Jamie was making it as a professional basketball player in the MBA. Much like Nathan, he had fallen in love with basketball and dreamed of playing in the MBA. Unlike Dan, Nathan had never pushed his son to the edge, but inspired him to play and enjoy every minute of it. Right now, Jamie was half way across the country, wishing he could be there for his family, but basketball was preventing that. As Lucas told him Anna was out of surgery, Jamie felt some relief and told Lucas to give his best to everyone.

* * *

An hour later, they were still waiting to hear more news. Most of the group had decided to go to the cafeteria and get some food. Peyton, Brooke, and Rowan were the only ones who remained in the waiting room. Peyton moved to the vacated spot next to Brooke and held her hand. "Still hanging in there?"

"Yes." Brooke whispered

"She's going to be fine." Peyton assured her best friend. "She is strong and brave, just like her mom."

"Thanks, P. Sawyer."

Peyton smiled at the long-time nickname that hadn't even changed when she married Lucas seventeen years ago. "We're going to be ok too, B. Davis."

Brooke smiled slightly and squeezed Peyton's hand. "Yes, we are."

A comfortable quiet fell between the two. Brooke looked over at Rowan, sitting silently by herself. Peyton sensed they needed some time to talk and made an excuse to go get food. Brooke scooted over next to her sixteen year old daughter.

"What's going on inside that pretty head of yours?" Brooke wanted to know. Rowan had kept to herself all day, but Brooke had only recently noticed.

"Nothing." Rowan kept her solemn green eyes on the floor.

Since the day Brooke and Julian had brought Rowan into their home, the energetic, wild, and stubborn child had tested their parenting skills even further. At first, the five year old seemed determined to make their lives a living hell, but Brooke had managed to get through the defiant attitude that guarded her broken heart. Since then, she had grown into a lively and ambitious musician, who was still as stubborn now as she was then. This silent version of Rowan was causing Brooke a lot of concern.

"I know you must be worried, but I don't want you to shut me out, Rowan. If you're hurting, don't keep it inside."

Rowan didn't respond with words, but she leaned her head against her mom's shoulder and allowed Brooke to wrap her arms around her. She debated whether to tell her mom what was really troubling her.

"Hey Mom?"

"What?"

"… I love you."

"I love you too, Honey. More than you know. Are you sure you're alright?"

Rowan nodded, but didn't meet her mother's eyes and wondered if she knew she was lying.

* * *

As time progressed, the others returned from the cafeteria to join Brooke and Rowan. Brooke expressed to Julian her growing concern for not only Michelle, but Rowan also. Julian assumed it was just Rowan worrying about Michelle and let it go. As they sat there waiting, nobody could find much to talk about. Broke was relieved when her phone rang and she could excuse herself.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Sam. Have you heard anything?"

"No, not yet. Where are you?"

"I'm about an hour away. Traffic has been terrible. I'm doing my best to get there as soon as I can, but it may take me take awhile."

"That's fine. Just… drive safe ok?"

"I'll be completely safe. Don't worry about me. I'll call you when I'm close, otherwise give me a call if you hear anything."

Brooke hung up and returned to the waiting room. Lauren looked exhausted, but she was never one to complain. Brooke just hoped the poor girl would be able to rest at some point tonight. Seating herself between Julian and Lauren, she waited for what seemed like an eternity before a doctor emerged. Brooke gripped Julian's hand as her heart began to pick up speed.

"Are you Mr. and Mrs. Baker?"

"Yes. How's our Daughter?" Julian asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid she didn't make it. She suffered from a lot of internal bleeding. We did the best we could, but she had a tremendous amount of damage done to her from the crash."

In a split second, Brooke had felt like her entire world fell apart. Her daughter was dead. She felt like someone had reached in and ripped her heart in two and the pain was drowning her alive. She held on to her husband to keep from collapsing. Her first reaction was to deny it. This doctor must be lying or confused. Michelle couldn't be dead. As realization began to sink in, she started to cry painful sobs that shook her whole body. The Scotts watched helplessly as the Baker family fell apart, knowing there was nothing they could do to make this easier. Michelle was gone and their lives would never be the same again.

**Well were you expecting this? the next chapter or so will be about how everyone is dealing with this. Please keep reviewing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter took a lot longer than I though it would - my longest chapter yet - but I finally finished it! Thanks again for your reviews! **

Chapter Five

Peyton had been sitting in Anna's hospital room all night, watching her motionless form and wondering how she was going to break the news. There was a terrible ache in her heart for Michelle. She'd been like family and Peyton could only imagine the loss her best friend must be feeling right now. It was almost two in the morning. Hours had passed since the horrible news about Michelle. Peyton and Lucas had been allowed into Anna's room where they continued to wait in the hope that she would wake up. Nathan and Haley had taken Keith, Harrison, and Sawyer home with them so they could get some sleep.

Out of the corner of her eye, Peyton thought she saw movement. Her eyes rested on Anna's face and then Anna's head turned slightly. "Oh my god, Lucas, I think she's waking up."

"Anna, baby, can you hear me?" Lucas reached for her hand.

Anna eyes opened slowly. At first she couldn't figure out where she was. Then her most recent memories resurfaced. They were driving… that car came out of nowhere… Michelle!

"Mom…" Anna found it difficult to speak, but forced herself to voice her question. She needed to know how her friend was doing. "How is… Michelle?" She noticed the drastic change that came over her mother's features. "Is … she okay?"

Peyton tried to fight back the tears, but they came anyway. "I'm so sorry, baby. She's…" Peyton couldn't finish her sentence, but she didn't have to. Realization dawned on Anna. She shook her head, trying to deny it, and wishing her mom would take it back

"No… NO!"

**One week later**

Morning arrived on the day of Michelle's funeral and Brooke had almost no strength to get herself out of bed. In fact, she hadn't had the strength to get out of bed most days lately, but today was the one day she had to. Brooke rolled over and saw Julian's side of the bed was empty. Unlike her, Julian did anything_ but_ sleep these days. Brooke wanted to just lay there and forgot what day it was, but she heard a knock on her door.

"Mom?" It was ten year old Lauren, already dressed in black with her hair pulled back. The sight of her broke her mom's heart. Lauren was such a care free and lively child. She never wore black, only the brightest colors she could find. Since the accident, she now wore a downcast expression on her usual sweet and cheerful face. Just from looking at her, Brooke could tell that Lauren's recent nightmares had been keeping her up last night too.

"Come on in, Sweetheart." Brooke padded the spot on the bed next to her and Lauren complied. Once in arms reach, Brooke wrapped her in a tight hug. "What's up?"

"Rowan locked herself in her room and won't come out and Carson is destroying his room. He says he's looking for his shirt but I think that's just his excuse to throw things."

As if on cue, Brooke heard a loud thud from down the hall. "Alright, I'll go see both of them in a minute but how are _you_ doing?"

Big tears welled up in Lauren's eyes. "I don't want to bury her today." She whispered. "I don't want to say goodbye."

Brooke gave Lauren another hug and kissed the top of her head. "I don't want to either, baby girl." Hearing another bang from Carson's room, Brooke decided she better deal with him sooner rather than later and went to his room.

"Carson, what are you doing?" Brooke demanded. He had thrown all his bedding on the ground, the contents of his bookshelf had been spewed everywhere, and his video games lay in ruin. Now he was grabbing things out of his closet to add to the mess.

"I can't find my stupid shirt! It was right here, but now it's gone." Carson reached in his closet and threw out small bin of old toys.

"Carson, stop it!" Brooke yelled. Carson spun around furiously, but didn't say anything. "I don't need this right now!" Behind her anger, Carson could see the pain. This wasn't easy for any of them, but it was hardest on her. He stood there silently, not sure what to do.

"Clean this mess up. People are coming over after the service and I don't want them seeing a messy house."

"Whatever." was Carson's terse reply.

Brooke inhaled sharply. She could feel a headache coming on. "I don't need this today." She muttered under her breathe as she left her son's room. Lauren still lingered, watching her older brother.

"Get out of here, Lauren." Carson snapped.

Lauren stared at him, wondering who this angry person was that her brother had turned into. He wasn't the Carson she used to know. As she was leaving, she turned to glare at him. "By the way, Dad is ironing your stupid shirt. Enjoy cleaning up your stupid mess you made for no reason, you jerk."

"Rowan? Open up the door. It's Mom." When Brooke didn't hear a response, she banged louder on the door. "Come on, I know you're in there." After several minutes of silence, Brooke finally gave up and went to get ready. She would deal with Rowan later. As she entered her own room, her eyes fell on a picture of Michelle, dark haired and bright eyed with a gorgeous smile. The photo was taken on her sixteenth birthday.

"Oh Michelle, you still had a whole life yet to live, my sweet girl." Brooke didn't try to stop the tears that followed. Her daughter was gone and had taken a big piece of Brooke's heart with her when she died. Wiping away the tears, Brooke got dressed for her daughter's funeral with a feeling that something was terribly wrong with the world if a mother lived longer than her child.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Lucas stood in the doorway of the bedroom, watching his wife. Peyton turned to face him with tears streaking down her face.

"I keep thinking how this could just as easily have been Anna's funeral today. We came so close to losing her, Luke. I've never been so scared in all my life than when I was sitting in that waiting room." Peyton picked up a picture of her and Brooke taken a few years back. "What am I going to say to her? Brooke's worst nightmare came true. Her daughter is gone and we got our daughter back. What am I supposed to say when I see her today?"

"Just let her know that you're there for her. All she needs to know right now is that she's got a ton of people who care about her that are going to help her through this."

Peyton walked over to Lucas until she was secure in his embrace. "Thank you, Luke. I don't know how I'd get through this if I didn't have you."

"Come on; let's go see if Anna is ready for this." Lucas began leading Peyton towards Anna's room. Peyton shook her head sadly.

"I don't think any girl is ever ready for her best friend's funeral."

Peyton knocked on the door, then slipped inside when she didn't hear a response and Lucas followed. Anna was sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around her pillow. Peyton sat next to her and tucked a wayward curl behind Anna's ear.

"Hey, Honey. It's almost time to go."

"I should be the one getting buried today, not Michelle." Anna said softly. She looked so tired and her voice was becoming hoarse. Peyton had heard her crying all night and knew that must be the cause.

"Anna, don't think like that." Lucas said. "I know it's been hard for you to deal with this, but it happened and you can't change the past."

"I miss her so much." Anna sobbed, burying her head in her mother's neck. "I don't know what I'm going to say to Aunt Brooke when I see her."

"Baby, you can't blame yourself for what happened. That other driver was the one who ran the red light and hit you. It's not your fault."

"But I should have seen him coming! I should have noticed he wasn't slowing down, but I was in too much of a hurry. It doesn't matter if I had the green light or not. I got Michelle killed!" With that, Anna cried harder than before, leaving both of her parents stunned speechless.

The funeral was in the afternoon. Brooke was comforted with the many familiar faces that showed up. All of her close friends, people that Michelle went to school with, and the entire cheerleading squad were there. Rowan had finally come out of her room with the help of Sam, but now she stood by Sam and refused to talk to anyone else. Her face was pained but she didn't cry. Sam fought her tears at first, but finally gave in. Michelle had been her first sister and it hurt more than anything to let her go. Carson stood tall, trying to fight back his tears like someone much stronger than a thirteen year old boy who had lost his sister. A few tears escaped nonetheless. Lauren had permanently attached herself to her dad as silent tears rolled down her young face. Brooke leaned against Julian, wishing with all her heart that this horrible dream would end. Julian held his wife and daughter with a terrible pain in his heart where Michelle had been. When it ended, the baker family stood still until everyone had left, clinging to each other as they said their own personal goodbyes. Their beloved daughter and sister was truly gone for good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok I wanted to put this up three days ago but fanfic was being stupid! anyway, thanks for the reviews!! Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

A single streetlight at the corner of Spring Road and Vermont Street was the only source of light during the dark hours of the night. It was completely silent as most of the people of Tree Hill were already asleep. No cars were in sight as Anna walked to the intersection and stood there in the middle. This was where it had happened. The accident that took Michelle's life had taken place right where Anna was standing. The events of the day, starting with the funeral and from then on, raced through her mind. Anna held her side as she realized her pain meds were wearing off and her broken ribs were beginning to hurt. It wasn't her injuries, as painful as they were, that kept her awake at night. Life would be so much easier if the pain in her heart hurt less than the pain in her ribs, but that was not the case. And the guilt was just as hard to live with, but there was nothing she could do for that either. Further down the street, Anna saw a car turn onto Spring Road. The headlights were blinding in the darkness. Anna began to move out of the street, but stopped herself, thinking for one split second that death was what she had deserved.

**Twelve hours earlier**

It was a somber group that gathered at the Baker house after the funeral. Many people brought food and offered their condolences to the hurting family. Brooke muttered thank you after thank you to them, but honestly just wished to be alone. Haley had hardly left her side, doing everything she could to help. Brooke had yet to see Peyton, Lucas, or Anna, but she wasn't really eager to. While Haley wasn't looking, Brooke discretely grabbed another hard drink, hoping it would help the next few hours go by faster.

In the basement, all of the teens had slowly begun to congregate. Sophie took a seat next to Anna and asked how she was holding up. Anna shrugged and changed the subject, asking about the basketball season.

"We're doing pretty well. It's weird having Uncle Lucas as a coach, but it's been fun."

"Are we seriously talking about basketball?" Brandon asked. "Sophie, can't you think of anything else to talk about?" Brandon teased, being the only one in his family to not follow his father's footsteps.

"Like your crappy music you make with your crappy band?" She retorted with a smile. As much as she actually liked her brother's band and thought he was a talented guitarist and singer, she'd never tell him that.

"Hey! I think our music is pretty damn good. Wouldn't you say so, Rowan?" Brandon turned to Rowan, the band's pianist and back-up vocalist, but she wasn't paying attention. In fact, none of the Baker kids had said much of anything, which was understandable, but the mood got a little grim after that.

It was a few hours before an adult went downstairs. Lucas came down and saw all of the kids sitting around talking, some seeming more withdrawn than others. Harrison was talking louder than anyone else, going on about some crazy event that happened to him a month ago. His ridiculous story got laughs out of few. Sophie threw a pillow at him and told him he left out a part. Sophie's continuation made Harrison out to be an idiot and got more laughs at his expense. It was a while before anyone noticed Lucas was there. When Keith saw him, Lucas finally spoke up.

"It's about time to go home. Say your goodbyes and head upstairs."

Lucas met Peyton at the top of the stairs. "Did you say anything to Brooke?"  
"Yes, I told her to call if she needed anything and I'll stop by later in the week to check in on her and the kids. She didn't really say anything, but I think she knows I'm willing to help out any way I can"

Anna soon joined her parents. "I'm going to go say goodbye to Aunt Brooke. I haven't spoken to her yet." She said as she headed toward the kitchen. Brooke was sitting at the table with a glass in her hand.

"Aunt Brooke?"

Brooke turned to face Anna. A weird expression came over her face that Anna couldn't figure out. Anna gave a weak smile, suddenly at a loss for words. She had thought of this moment, finally seeing her Aunt Brooke since the accident, but now that she stood in front of her, she couldn't think of what to say first.

"I – I'm sorry about Michelle. I wish there was something I could do to change what happened –"

"How about using your breaks? Ever think of that?" Brooke's cold reply caused Anna to take in a sharp inhale of breath.

"Aunt Brooke, I –"

"Shut up! It's your fault. My daughter would still be a live if it weren't for you." Brooke noticed the tears falling down Anna's face, but felt no regret. Any feeling in her heart for this girl had died with Michelle "Get out of my house. It's killing me just looking at you"

At first, Anna felt like the shock of Brooke's words had frozen her in place. She had never felt so hurt by someone she loved. When her words had sunk in and it hurt too much to see the look of hatred on Brooke's face, Anna bolted from there as fast as she could, rushing past her parents and grandmother, leaving them bewildered and worried.

**Five hour later**

Peyton sat at her kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea and playing the scenes from earlier over and over again in her mind. It was late and she was tired, but sleep would not come easy tonight. The entire day had been draining, but the last moments at Brooke's house had really been difficult. After Anna had made her fast exit, Peyton went in to talk to Brooke.

_"What did you say to Anna?"_

_"Just the truth. She should have been more responsible that day and paid attention for once. That kid of yours is reckless."_

_"Brooke, the accident wasn't her fault! How dare you tell her it was! That guy who ran the red light caused it and he didn't live to pay for the consequences. Do you think it's easy for Anna to be the only one to walk away from this?"_

_"Do you think it's easy for me to live with the fact that my daughter is dead and your daughter is completely fine?"_

_"Anna is not fine! She loved Michelle! And she loves you! This whole thing is really hard for her and you just went and made it worse. Brooke, I'm so sorry about Michelle and I know this must be hard, but I can't believe that would blame Anna for this." _

When Brooke made no reply, Peyton had stormed out of the kitchen. She was so furious and hurt; she didn't know where to begin. Her best friend had put all the blame on her daughter! She felt like she had been stabbed in the back. Grieving or not, that was not acceptable. When they got home, Peyton had tried to talk to Anna, but she didn't have much to say. Even Karen couldn't get much out of her. Anna had gone to her room, closed the door, and blasted her music as loud as she could. It was only an hour ago when she finally turned the music off.

Lucas had taken the boys to the river court for a late night game of hoops to blow off some stress. After playing for a while, Lucas heard his cell go off. Picking it up, he saw Peyton was calling and answered it.

"Peyton?"

"Lucas, She's gone." Peyton's frantic voice came in clear.

"Who? What's the matter?"

"Anna! She's not in her room. I just went to check on her and she's gone! She's not anywhere in the house!"

"Peyton, calm down. I'm sure she's fine. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Anna had climbed out her window, needing some sort of escape from home for a while. She had no destination, she just wanted out. However, as she wandered around town, she found herself walking towards Michelle's and before she knew it, she was standing at the very place where she thought she would never want to return to: the intersection of Spring and Vermont.

**Two hours later**

"Hello?"

"Haley, its Peyton. Is Anna at your house?"

"No, she's not. Is she missing?" Haley glanced at the clock and panicked at the thought of Anna out this late by herself.

"I don't know where she is and I'm running out of places to check. I called all of her friend's houses and no one has seen or heard from her"

"Did you – did you check with Brooke?" Haley asked. She had witnessed the whole scene with Brooke and Anna, but maybe there was a slight chance Anna had gone to see Rowan or perhaps even talk to Brooke.

"She won't be there, not after today." There was no missing the anger and disappointment in Peyton's voice. Haley felt like she was being torn in half, wanting to be supportive of both Brooke and Peyton. She opted to stay quiet on the subject and help with finding Anna.

Anna stood still as the car got closer. Her heart was beating faster and she almost bolted. The car began to slow down and stopped two feet in front of her. Much to her surprise, Anna found herself looking into the blue eyes of Jeremy Holt. It seemed like an eternity of staring at each other before Jeremy rolled down his window.

"Come on, get in." He said. His expression was slightly perplexed yet intrigued. Anna knew Jeremy from school, but they had never been friends or even had a conversation before. Jeremy was the school's track star. He seemed to break records every time he stepped out onto the track. His charming smile certainly helped with his popularity too.

"Come on, Anna. I'll give you a ride." Jeremy insisted when Anna didn't move. She wasn't even aware he knew her name until that moment. Unable to think of a good excuse to say no, Anna climbed into Jeremy's car.

"I heard about your friend Michelle. That sucks."

"Thanks." Anna said quietly. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. "So, where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want." He offered. Anna figured he was probably just being nice to her because she was Michelle's best friend. After all, Michelle had been one of the most popular girls in school and everyone's favorite cheerleader. Or maybe he really did feel bad that she lost her best friend.

"I just want to go anywhere but home."

"Ok, I have a place in mind." Jeremy said with that charming smile of his. Anna smiled back in return, wondering why she'd never taken the time to get to know Jeremy before. In the back of her mind, Anna wondered if her parents knew she wasn't in her room. She thought about giving them a call, but Jeremy had started talking again and she soon forgot anything else on her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Where are we going?" Anna asked.

"It's a surprise." said Jeremy. "You'll see when we get there."

They had been in the car for a little while and Anna was anxious to know where they were headed. In this small town, there were only so many places you could go. Anna glanced over at Jeremy and he caught her odd look.

"What?"

"Why did you tell me to get in the car?" Anna had been dying to know. Sure, it had been fun so far, but they barely knew each other. "I could be a psycho stalker for all you know." She teased. Jeremy laughed a little.

"I doubt it. Besides, if I didn't get you out of the street, a real psycho stalker might have picked you up."

"Well, you're quite the hero then, aren't you?"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and pulled the car into an empty lot and parked it. "We're here." He announced. Anna looked out the window of her car door, then back at Jeremy with raised eyebrows.

"A park? You're taking me to a park?"

"Look over there." Jeremy ordered, pointing out the window. "Do you see that hill? That's where we're going." He climbed out of the car and Anna followed. They made their way through the park until they had reached the hill.

"So what's so great about this hill?" Anna asked as they made their way up the side of it.

"You'll see when we get up there." Jeremy promised. He noticed Anna grab her side and stop. "Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, my ribs are just bothering me. It's nothing."

"Are you sure? I could carry you the rest of the way." He offered. Anna let out a small laugh.

"No, really, I'll be fine."

They had reached the top without much trouble and Anna gasped at what she saw.

"Oh my god, you can see the whole town from here!"

"Yeah, I love this view." Jeremy sat down and patted the spot next to him. Anna seated herself on the ground and marveled at the sight before them.

"This is incredible! I've never been here before."

"I found this place about two years ago. This park is just on the outskirts of town so it's not very well-known, but it's a great place. I come here when I need to clear my head or get away."

Anna studied Jeremy for a moment. "Why did you bring me here?"

Jeremy's eyes met hers. "Are you always so full of questions?"

"Only when I'm out with a stranger in the middle of the night." She answered.

"Oh, so you do this often?" He assumed with a laugh and it made Anna laugh too.

"No, I must admit this is a first."

A silence fell between them as Anna waited for him to answer her question. Jeremy stared off in the distance and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Two years ago, my little brother died in a car accident. My mom was driving us home from a friend's house and a drunk driver swerved into our lane, heading straight towards us. My mom tried to maneuver out of his path, but there wasn't enough time and the car hit us." Jeremy glanced at Anna to find her watching him intensely. Sympathy was written all over her face. Jeremy's eyes dropped to his hands. "I was in the back seat. I usually took the front seat because I was the oldest, but my brother Jason always complained he never got to ride shotgun. So I thought I would be nice and let him have it just one time." Jeremy paused for a moment. Anna looked out towards the town and waited for him to continue. "My mom was in pretty bad shape, but she pulled through. Jason didn't even make it to the hospital."

"Jeremy, I'm so sorry." Anna said quietly. It was the only thing she could think to say. Jeremy looked her in the eyes and saw the same pain he'd gone through two years ago.

"This is where I came to escape it all. After I found this park, I came here all the time. When I saw you standing in the middle of the road, I recognized you from school and realized I'd also seen you at the funeral. I knew you and Michelle had been close so I figured you must be going through a tough time right now. I thought I would ask you to come with me because I know it sucks to lose someone and you might need a friend right about now. Besides, now you have a place you can come if you ever need to escape for a while." Jeremy fell silent, unsure if he's shared too much.

"Thank You, Jeremy. Wow, I had no idea we had so much in common. Thanks for bringing me here and sharing with me. … and I think I could use a friend right about now."

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but a flash of lightning made him go silent.

"Did you see that?" Anna exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with wonder.

"It looks like a storm is coming this way."

"We should get out of here." Anna said, looking up at the quickly darkening sky.

Rain began to fall, not very heavily yet, and Anna stood, intending to run for the car, but Jeremy stood and grabbed her hand.

"Wait! Let's stay for a bit."

"It's already raining! Do you honestly want to get stay up here while there's thunder and lightning?"

"Come on, Anna. When was the last time you did something fun or daring? There's nothing more exciting than a storm. It's wild and unpredictable. Let's stay and watch it a while."

The rain began to pour harder and another streak of lightning flashed across the sky. A loud boom of thunder followed soon after. Anna looked into those deep blue eyes and caved. "Alright, we can stay for a bit."

* * *

Lucas walked into the family room and handed a glass of water to Peyton. She was sitting on the edge of the couch with all the emotions of the day showing on her tired face. Karen entered the room looking almost as worn out as Peyton. They all froze when they heard thunder in the distance. Peyton gave Lucas a horror-stricken look.

"Lucas." Karen said, trying to be as calm as she could. "I think you need to call the police and tell them Anna is missing."

"Are you sure we should involve the police, I mean what if she's just –"

"Luke, Anna walked out of this house and didn't take one of the cars. If she's out in this storm, we need to get the police to find her." Peyton pointed out, desperate to get Anna back under their roof with no more harm done to her.

"Alright. I'll call the police." Lucas squeezed Peyton's shoulder reassuringly and headed into the kitchen.

* * *

"Oh my god! This is so cool!" Anna screamed with excitement. The rain poured harder than ever and above them lightning was dancing over their town. The thunder was louder than Anna had ever heard and nearly shook them each time. Jeremy let out a hearty laugh, but didn't say anything. Anna peered over at him to see that he was enjoying this just as much as she was. Water ran down her face and she had to wipe it away from her eyes. Her curly blond hair was matted down and clung to her head. They were both soaked to the bone and starting to get cold, but neither of them moved. This was too incredible to miss a minute of it.

The sky was black and menacing and Anna felt the tiniest bit of fear every time lightning struck, but at some point during the storm, she had reached for Jeremy's hand. Every time she got scared, she squeezed his hand and felt a bit safer. "I can't believe I wanted to hide in your car at first." She yelled over the roar of the thunder.

"We would be missing out right now if we did." Jeremy yelled back.

* * *

Every crack or thunder made Peyton shudder. The police had arrived and began asking Peyton and Lucas questions about Anna, but her mind kept wandering to image of Anna alone out in this horrible storm.

"Has your daughter ever done anything like this before?" One policeman was asking.

"No." Lucas said. "But her best friend died last week and the funeral was today. She hasn't been herself lately."

Out of the corner of her eye, Peyton saw movement by the stairs. She excused herself and Lucas watched as she left the room. Sawyer sat in the middle of the stairs in her pajamas, peering through the railing. She started to scramble back up the stairs when she was her mother had spotted her.

"Sawyer, come here." Peyton called softly to her daughter. Sensing she wasn't in trouble, Sawyer turned and went to her mother. "What are you doing up?"

"Well, the thunder woke me up, but then I saw lights outside my window and I heard noises down stairs. I went to your room, but you and daddy weren't in there. What's going on, Mommy?"

"Nothing, baby. Just go back to your room and try to sleep. I know the thunder's loud but it will pass eventually."

Sawyer looked as though she would rather stay up with the adults, but she went upstairs without complaint. Peyton turned back to the living room where Lucas was still talking to the police. Karen came out of the kitchen and stood next to her. "How are you holding up?" She asked Peyton.

Peyton let out a cheerless laugh and shook her head. "I feel like its one thing after another with Anna. She gave me the biggest scare of my life when she got in that accident, then she tells us before the funeral that she thinks it's all her fault that Michelle is dead. Now she's run off somewhere during a storm. I know I should probably be furious with her – and maybe under normal circumstances I would be – but I mostly just worry about her and want her home. I just wish there was some way I could help her get through this hurt and guilt she's dealing with."

"You're doing the best anyone can do. Just don't give up on her. She'll be ok in time."

* * *

"I think it's finally over." Anna said, wishing the storm could have lasted all night. It had been amazing. Jeremy pushed himself to his feet and reached for Anna's good hand to help her up.

"I think I should go home now. It's pretty late." Anna suddenly thought about her parents and wondered if they had found out that she was gone or if she could sneak back in with no trouble. Jeremy led Anna back toward his car and got the door for her. She realized his seats would be soaked from both of them, but figured he wouldn't care. Jeremy started the car and pulled away from the park.

"I had an awesome time tonight. Thanks for coming with me." Jeremy said.

"Yeah, I'm glad I came. You're a different person than I thought you were."

"Is that a good thing?" Jeremy asked, half joking - half serious.

"Yes, it's a very good thing." Anna said with a smile. He had surprised her. He wasn't some self-centered jock with no brain. As stereotypical as that sounded, that was what she had though of him. She now knew not to judge a person too quickly.

"So now I think it's my turn to ask a question." Jeremy said suddenly. He glanced over at her with his deep blue eyes. "You asked me why I told you to get in the car. I want to know why you got in."

"That's not a question." Anna pointed out. Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"It's an implied question. Why did you get in my car?"

"I saw something in your eyes. I didn't know what it was at first, but I wanted to find out."

"And did you find out?" Jeremy was more curious than ever.

"Yes, it was understanding. You knew what it was like to lose someone and I saw that in your eyes when you stopped your car in front of me. That's why I got in."

They were getting closer to her house and Jeremy suddenly cleared his throat nervously. "Anna, I just want to say –"

"Oh my god!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"That's my house! There's police at my house!"

Jeremy pulled into the driveway and Anna was out of the car and rushing into her house faster than he could blink.

"Mom?" Anna called out as she walked through the door. Peyton saw her enter and pushed passed a policeman to get to her. In a second, her mom had her arms around her.

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry, I never meant to make you worry." Anna suddenly felt terrible for not thinking of her parents. She'd just had such a wonderful time with Jeremy…

Lucas and Karen came up to them. Lucas pulled Anna into a firm hug. "Thank God you're alright."

Oh you're all wet." said Karen. "Come on, Honey. Let's get you some fresh clothes and I'll make you some tea."

The three adults, glad to have Anna back safely, led her towards the kitchen. Anna glanced back out the window to find that Jeremy's car was gone. She had wanted to say goodbye to him, but seeing the squad cars had made her panic. Now he was gone and she missed her chance to thank him for all that he had done for her.

**Keep those reviews coming and let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**ok, sorry this one took FOREVER! I was really busy with soccer season and I also just wasn't motivated to get it written but I finally got the ball rolling again. Thanks for those reviews! You guys are awesome. **

Chapter Eight

**One Week Later**

Peyton slowed the car to a stop in front of Tree Hill High School.

"Bye, Mom." Keith said quickly and grabbed his backpack. Peyton was barely able to respond before he was out of the car and disappearing into the crowd of students. Anna laughed and gave her mom a look.

"Somebody is afraid to be seen with you in public." Anna observed with a smile.

"Yeah, Harrison is like that too now. At least I got a few years before Sawyer gets like that." Peyton reached in the backseat and handed Anna a lunch bag that had fallen out of Keith's backpack.

"Give this to your brother. And make sure he stays out of trouble."

"I always do. See you later, Mom."

"Be good, kid. And don't do anything that would give me a heart attack, ok?"

"I'll _try _not to, but there's no guarantee." Anna said with mock sincerity.

"Whatever. Get to school." Peyton tugged playfully on Anna's ponytail.

Anna flashed her mom a quick smile and then got out of the car. She was barely five feet away before she heard someone call her name. She looked up to see Jeremy walking towards her.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Well, only one more week left of my grounding and then I can have phone and car privileges back."

"And you'll also be able to hang out with people again." Jeremy added. When Anna's parents had grounded her the next day after running off, he had also been counting the days until they could hang out again. Sure, they saw each other at school, but that was the extent of it. That would change when her grounding ended. He already was making plans for an end-of-grounding day of fun.

"I think Keith is more eager for me to be able to drive again than I am." Anna said, recalling his actions a few minutes again.

"Have you driven? I mean, since the accident?" Jeremy asked, wondering if she would want to so soon after the crash. Anna's smile vanished for a split second.

"No." She said quietly. "It's the one part of my grounding that I'm not all that anxious to be over." She laughed a little at her next thought. "Keith doesn't seem to care. He's just sick of being dropped off." Even though she was smiling, the joy didn't reach her eyes. Jeremy could tell something was wrong and if he had one guess, he'd bet all his money she was still struggling with the events of Michelle's death.

"Come on." said Jeremy, putting all his charm into that smile of his. "I'll walk you to your first class."

* * *

Brooke was curled up on the couch when the phone rang. She wasn't asleep, but her thoughts were miles away. She wasn't sure how long she had been lying there. Sitting up to grab the phone, she glanced at the clock and figured it had only been a few hours.

"Hello?" Brooke answered.

"Mrs. Baker, this is Principle Jones. I'm calling about your son."

"What's wrong with Carson?"

"I think you should come over to my office."

Brooke hung up the phone and grabbed her keys. The principle didn't sound too happy and he obviously wasn't going to tell her what was wrong over the phone. She didn't feel like leaving the house today, but she didn't really have any choice. Climbing in her car, she headed towards Tree Hill Middle School. She took a longer route to get there, not quite ready to drive past the place of the accident. It would haunt her too much to visualize it right where it happened. She let out a sigh as the familiar ache returned to her chest. The ache she got when she thought of Michelle.

Brooke parked the car and quickly made her way to the principle's office. When she entered, the principle was sitting at his desk, his eyes keenly watching Carson. Carson's back was to Brooke as he sat facing the principle.

"Come in, Mrs. Baker." Principle Jones said in his no-nonsense voice. Brooke took the seat next to Carson and saw he was holding an ice pack to his lip.

"Carson, what happened?" Brooke asked immediately. Carson glanced at Brooke then met the eyes of his principle and remained silent. The Principle waited for Carson to answer and when he didn't, the Principle spoke for him.

"Your son got in a fight this morning with another boy. Students who witnessed it said your son started the whole thing." The principle narrowed his eyes in Carson's direction. "And he finished it as well. The other boy has been sent home."

Brooke gave Carson an astonished look, but his eyes were on the floor. She wasn't sure how to respond to what was just said.

"Mr. Jones, I know it was horrible for Carson to do that, but you must understand that our family is –"

"Mrs. Baker," The principle cut her off. "I am well aware of the recent loss your family has experienced. While I sympathize, I must remind you that this is not the first occurrence. Carson has been causing many fights and outbursts in school for the past week. We let the first few slide in light of what he had gone through, but it has come to the point where punishment must be ordered."

Brooke didn't respond right away. She was watching Carson. Something the principle said had struck her. "What do you mean, this isn't the first time? If he has done this before, why wasn't I told? Do think I'm such an unfit mother now that I can't discipline my own children?" Brooke could feel her anger rising. "If I had been told the first time, it would have been dealt with and we would have made sure Carson stopped!"

The principle gave her an odd look before responding. "Mrs. Baker, we did tell you. Well, we told your husband at least. Now, as far as punishment goes…"

Brooke lost rack of what he was saying. Julian had known? And he hadn't said anything to her? They didn't really say much of anything to each other right now, but she had thought that if anything important came up, they would at least share it with each other. Apparently she had been wrong.

"… and as long as this doesn't continue, there will be no suspension for your son."

Brooke looked back at the principle, realizing he was done. She had missed most of what he had said.

"Great. So Carson and I can go now?" She asked hastily. She stood before she got a reply and Carson silently trailed behind her. When they were in the car, Brooke folded her arms over the steering wheel and laid her head down. Carson sat with his icepack pressed to his swelling lip, unsure what to say or do. He had expected her to be furious. This was rather unnerving. When she finally raised her eyes to his, he hated what he saw.

"Carson, I'm so disappointed, I don't know where to begin." Her tone wasn't angry or loud. It was soft and – like she'd said – disappointed. "What were you _thinking_?"

Carson was tempted to say he wasn't thinking, but that was a lie. He had wanted to fight those kids. He didn't tell his mom that, though. Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

"I can't believe your father knew about this." She muttered. "He didn't say anything to you about it?"

Carson shook his head. The principle had called his dad last week when it all started. He didn't call him in for a meeting, just told him over the phone. Carson had been nervous to go home that day, not wanting to face his dad's anger, but his dad had acted like nothing happened. If Carson hadn't been in the office when the call was made, he would have sworn that the principle never actually told him. Now, facing his mother's sheer disappointment, he would actually prefer to have the yelling and grounding and just get it over with.

Brooke turned the car on and pulled away from the school. Not another word was spoken for the entire ride.

* * *

"Anna, have you seen Rowan today?" Brandon inquired. He knew Rowan was going through a lot right now, but he was seriously starting to worry about lately. Something wasn't right.

"No, I don't see her around much at all." Anna didn't bother to mention that that was because she was avoiding any of Michelle's family.

"Yeah, she didn't come to band practice yesterday and I haven't talked to her all week. I figured she would want some space, but now I'm thinking maybe we should keep a closer eye on her, just to see if she's alright."

"If you don't see her by the end of school, try giving her a call. Maybe she just forgot about practice."

Brandon looked skeptical at this. Rowan loved the band more that anything else. She wouldn't just forget, but then again, she _was_ going through a lot right now. Either way, he would give her a call later.

* * *

Brooke entered her home and ordered Carson to his room. As upset as she was with Carson, it paled in comparison to how hurt she was that Julian hadn't spoken to her about this. She wanted to go to her bed and let out a good, long cry, but her phone went off again.

"Hello?" She figured whoever was on the other line would be able to tell how emotionally wrung out she felt right now, but she didn't care.

"Mrs. Baker, this is Miss Visser. I'm your daughter Lauren's teacher."

"Yes, I remember."

"I was wandering if you could come to school for a little bit. I'd like to speak to you concerning Lauren's recent behavior in class."

"She's not starting fights, is she?"

"Oh, no! It's nothing like that, but I do feel it is rather important."

Brooke hung up with Miss Visser. First Carson, now Lauren. Could this day get any worse?

She was at the school in no time. Miss Visser's room was easy to find. It was recess time so the teacher was the only one in there.

"Hello, Mrs. Baker. Please come in. Have a seat."  
Brooke took that seat across from the teacher and waited for her to continue.

"Well, first let me start by offering my deepest sympathies. I know your family must be going though a rough time." Brooke got the feeling something was off with this woman. She seemed to fake her sincerity. Or maybe it was the way she was talking. Whatever it was, Brooke knew she didn't like the woman very much. "Lauren is a sweet girl. I've enjoyed having her in my class this year. I can see this has had a deep effect on her. Since she's been back in school, she hasn't been able to focus much in class. She's very bright, but lately her grades have been steady declining. In the past few days, she has even fallen asleep in class. I'm worried that something is wrong at home. She never brings her homework in anymore either."

Brooke tried to take this all in. She knew Lauren was had always loved school. She used to speak of it constantly. She could have never guessed Lauren would start falling behind.

"Miss Visser, Lauren's been having lots of nightmares lately. It seems like she has them every night so you could imagine that she doesn't get much sleep. I'm sure once the nightmares go away, she'll be fine."

"And if they last for a month? How do you think that will effect Lauren's schooling if this goes on for a month?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Brooke said firmly. This lady was treating her like one of her students.

"I suggest you take Lauren home and let her get some sleep this afternoon. In the mean time, maybe you and your family should see somebody about Lauren's nightmares. It could have a serious effect on her. And I'm sure you don't want her education to suffer from this." Her very tone caused Brooke's irritation to rise to another notch. She glared at the teacher.

"Like I said, we'll work it out." She didn't even try to hide how pissed off she was. A bell rang as the teacher was about to respond. She glanced at the clock and put on a fake smile.

"Lauren will be coming in from recess now. You can wait out in the hall for her and then take her home. I hope we won't have to peak of this again, Mrs. Baker."

Brooke stood and marched out of the room. She immediately spotted Lauren and gestured for her to come. Lauren looked perplexed, but obeyed.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Come on, baby. I'm taking you home."

Brooke led Lauren to the car and waited until they were inside to speak to her.

"Honey, have you still been having bad nightmares?" She asked gently.

Lauren nodded and her eyes dropped to her shoes. Brooke could even see her face reddening a little. Brooked reached over and tenderly put her hand underneath Lauren's chin and tilted it up so she could look her in the face. Brooke gazed into Lauren's blue eyes and could see directly into her tired soul. This was all too much for a ten-year-old to handle. Brooke felt like she was in over her head with all these issues. She wanted more than anything to talk to Julian, to be held by him, but things hadn't been the same between them since they lost Michelle.

* * *

Brandon dialed Rowan's number and heard it start to ring on the other line. It rang and rang, but she never picked up. He left a quick voicemail, telling her to call him back. Brandon put his phone back in his pocket and went to watch Sophie's basketball game. He would call her again later. She would have to talk to him eventually.

* * *

Brooke stood in the doorway of Lauren's room watching her sleep. She wanted so bad to make her daughter's life easier, but what could she do? She got the urge to call Peyton. She missed Peyton almost as much as she missed Julian, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to her. Not after the way she had treated Anna. With her life in a million pieces, Brooke felt like she was reaching a breaking point. Then her phone rang. Brooke wanted to smash it after the two calls she had gotten today. Something told her this call wouldn't be good either. She was right. As she answered, the Tree Hill High School principle greeted her in a grave tone. What had Rowan done?

"I'm calling because your daughter Rowan wasn't at school again today. This is the third day in a row. Since we weren't notified by you that she would be absent, we wanted to make sure you were aware of this."

Brooke thought quickly, not wanting another meeting today. "Yes, I totally forgot to call. Rowan has been sick this week. I took her to the doctor's and he said it was the stomach flu. She has been throwing up constantly. So with all this, I just sort of forgot to let the school know, but she's getting better and she'll be back really soon."

There was a slight pause. "Alright. Thank you for letting us know. Next time, don't wait three days. We were concerned she was skipping school."

Brooke wanted to weep, but she fought back her tears and made her voice sweet and cheerful. "No, she'll be back in school as soon as she's healthy."

"Alright. Thank you, Mrs. Baker."

As soon as the line went dead, Brooke dropped the phone and buried her face in her hands, letting loose the flood of tears she'd been holding back all day. Her knees gave out and she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

**What did you think? Next chapter will focus even more on Brooke and her family and you will finally learn about what's wrong with Rowan. I'll also try to throw in more of Anna and Jeremy to see how their relationship is developing. Let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, this one took me a while too, but I've been REALLY busy. Anyway, I hope you like it. I stayed up late last night finishing it. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! Keep 'em coming!**

Chapter Nine

Rowan pulled in the driveway and opened the garage. When the car was parked, she waited until the garage door had completely closed before she grabbed her backpack from its hiding spot behind the recycling bin and slung it over her shoulder. She had perfected leaving and arriving home around the time she would for school. So far no one had noticed, but then again, it's not like her parents noticed much of anything these days. Entering the house through the back door, Rowan heard the unmistakable sound of someone crying. She dropped her backpack and moved to the kitchen. As she rounded the corner, she saw the heartbreaking scene of her mother on the floor weeping as if her life was over. Rowan dropped to her knees next to Brooke and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked, alarm racing through her. Brooke sat up and leaned against Rowan, but didn't respond. Rowan clutched her tighter. Carson had come down the stairs and watched as Brooke sought comfort from her daughter. Rowan caught his eye and gave him a look pleading for help. Carson stepped forward and knelt on the other side of Brooke, not sure what to do. They sat there for some time, silently asking themselves if they had brought this upon their mom. Regret and shame welled up in both of them. Brooke began to calm, her breathing slightly uneven but almost under control.

"Mom," Rowan whispered, her voice filled with agony. "Are you ok?"

Brooke squeezed Rowan's hand, but ignored her question. Instead, she turned to Carson and looked into his eyes that reminded her so much of Julian. "Call your dad and tell him he needs to come home. Now."

Carson nodded and moved quickly to do as she asked.

* * *

The house was silent when Julian came in through the back door. Carson's call had surprised him. He'd been keeping himself busy with work because he needed something to keep him at a constant distraction. He knew he was a mess, but he thought Brooke had been holding up better than him. He also knew it was wrong of him not to even ask her how she was, but it was just too hard to even try to be a normal couple right now.

Julian found Carson and Rowan sitting on the couch in the living room. They were just sitting there, not talking or doing anything.

"Where's your mom?"

"Upstairs." was the quite reply.

Julian bounded up the steps and turned down the hallway. He found Brooke in their bedroom sitting on the bed. She raised her eyes to meet his and he froze. The pain he saw there made his heart hurt.

"Julian, we need to talk."

He took in her tear-stained face and the exhausted look in her eyes. Everything about her just seemed broken. "Ok."

"For starters, where the hell have you been?" From the way she was talking, he could tell she was trying to hold back her tremendous hurt and anger. Julian didn't know how to respond. "Even when you are home, you aren't here for me or the kids. You spend every hour you can at work and then come home and close yourself off from the rest of us. Don't you realize how much I've needed you?" Her honest words were painful to hear. She wasn't finished.

"I get called to Carson's school today about his fights in school. It was hard to hear about how angry Carson has become, but do you know how hard it was to hear that you knew and didn't say anything to me? Or that you didn't say anything to Carson?" She paused to gather her raging emotions. "Do you even care?" she cried.

"Lauren is doing miserably in school because she can't focus and she can't sleep when she's at home. Rowan hasn't been going to school at all. I needed you today and you weren't there. You haven't been there for anyone." Brooke had to stop as fresh tears spilled over and a sob threatened to escape.

Julian was stunned. He hadn't known about Lauren and Rowan or even Brooke. When he had heard about Carson, he had let it go because he knew it must be hard for Carson to be at school when he was still dealing with a loss. Looking back, he realized now that that was the wrong choice. "I'm sorry." He said pathetically. "I didn't realize – I don't –"

Silence fell between them. Brooke refused to look at him. Julian ran a frustrated hand through his hair, at a loss for words.

"I just want to know why." She said at last. Julian let out a sigh.

"I don't know why. I just miss her so much I feel like I can't do anything. I feel like I can't be a good husband or father. It just hurts too much."

"I lost her too!" Brooke lashed out. A painful silence followed. Julian had somehow forgotten that they were in the same boat. "I'm hurting just as bad and I miss her just as much! At least I've been here!"

The way she had said that last statement pushed Julian's own anger to the surface. "Yeah I'm sure the kids really appreciate it when you are drinking yourself to sleep every night right in front of them! You can't drink away the pain, Brooke!" Julian exclaimed with much heat. Brooke turned her face away so he couldn't see her crying, but he knew that was what she was doing. She hadn't meant to turn to the drinking, but it just sort of happened. The same Julian had thrown himself into work.

"Look," she said, her voice giving away her crying. "We both have been doing a pretty bad job at keeping this family together. We've both been living selfishly in our grief. We are hurting, but so are our kids. We can't keep going on like this." Her eyes met his and softened a little. "I need you. I can't do this all by myself. I've already lost Michelle; I don't want to lose you too."

Julian blinked away tears of his own and pulled Brooke into his arms. It was the first time he had held her since the funeral. She buried her face in his neck, soaking the collar of his shirt with silent tears. His hand cradled the back of her head and the other arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. "I'm so sorry." He murmured with deep sincerity. Brooke whispered an apology, feeling as though her world was on it's way to becoming right again. She pulled back and looked into the eyes she adored.

"We need to talk to the kids."

A scream split the air and Brooke knew Lauren had just woken up. She had barely gotten a good hour in before the nightmare hit. Brooke went to console her, but Julian stopped her. "I'll go."

Brooke wanted to weep with the overwhelming joy and relief she felt. Julian was back and taking care of their kids. She followed behind him into Lauren's room. Lauren was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide with fright as tears flowed from them. Her breath came in rapid burst and a cold sweat had broken out across her forehead. They had yet to figure out what these nightmares were. She never liked to talk about them, but they were affecting her deeply.

Julian sat next to her and put his strong arms around her. She seemed comforted just to have him there. Her face reddened a little in embarrassment. Most ten-year-olds didn't suffer from nightmares. Brooke took the open spot next to her and held her hand. No one spoke; Lauren's parents simply wanted her to know they were there whenever she needed them. When she calmed a little, Brooke asked her if she was ready to talk about it. Maybe now that Julian was here, Lauren would open up. However, Lauren shook her head and didn't say a word. Brooke exchanged looks with Julian. Both realized this would take time. For now, they needed to have family meeting.

Rowan and Carson watched as Brooke and Julian descended the stairs together with Lauren. Brooke took the seat across from them and spoke first. "Your dad and I have been talking. We know things have been bad around here and it's been really hard on all of you to cope with what's happened." She glanced around at her children. Their pain was written plainly on their faces. "But we realized today that things can't keep going as they have been. Something has got to change. We know we haven't been doing a good job as parents to you these past few weeks and for that I just wanted to say how truly sorry I am." Brooke paused, the words catching in her throat as tears well up in her eyes. Julian reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she noticed the tears in his eyes as well.

"But things are going to be different now. I promise." She managed to say, holding back the cry she wanted to let out. Julian nodded and took over for her.

"From now on, we can't keep looking out for just ourselves. We're here for all of you and you've got to help each other. We're going to stick together."

Lauren began to cry softly and Brooke opened her arms for Lauren to come close. Lauren moved to be sit next to Brooke, welcoming the motherly embrace that she received. Julian watched them through blurred vision and waited to continue. He cleared his throat and glanced at the older two.

"Carson, I didn't handle the situations with your fights like I should have. You need to know that fighting is unacceptable no matter what the circumstances." He caught Brooke's eye and felt her approval. "It's very difficult for your mother and I to know that you were behaving like this, without a thought to how much you were hurting these kids. But I know that I should take just as much blame for this as you should. I'm sorry I didn't step in and be the father you needed." Julian looked his son dead in the eye and Carson could see just how remorseful he felt. "Can you forgive me, Son?"

Carson nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over. Julian stood and took a step in Carson's direction. By the time Carson had stood, Julian had grabbed him in a fierce hug. As much as he hated to cry in front of people, Carson couldn't help it any more. He sobbed into his dad's shirt, ready to admit how much he was hurting. Carson pulled back a bit and Julian held him at arms length. Without much urging, Carson spilled out what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Dad." He cried, his voice tight and shaky. "I was just so angry! I don't know why I hurt those kids. I thought it would make me feel better, but it didn't." he paused for a breath, tears flowing freely from his deep brown eyes. "Why did she have to die?" he finally exclaimed. "She never did anything wrong! She was nice to everyone, even me when I was the biggest jerk of a brother some days. I just… I don't… I…" He was searching for words to explain how he felt, but Julian already understood. He pulled Carson in for another hug. "I know, Buddy. I know." Carson cried out all his frustrated tears and gripped his Dad tighter.

Brooke desperately wanted to hold her only son, but Lauren had begun to weep harder with what Carson had shared. Rowan sat on the other couch by herself, silent tears falling from her green eyes. Something about the look on her face bothered Brooke beyond measure.

"Hey," Brooke spoke softly. Rowan kept her eyes on the floor. "Rowan, honey, look at me." Rowan's eyes met Brooke's and Brooke could see straight into her soul. "What's wrong?" she asked, her heart aching for Rowan.

Rowan shook her head a little. "I wish I could tell you." She said in a voice just above a whisper. Julian and Carson took and seat across from Rowan. Carson's curious eyes bore into hers. "Why can't you?" he asked. He and Rowan had always been close. She always told him what was going on with her. At least, she told him most of the stuff, things that were really important t her.

Rowan looked around the room to see all the eye of her family on her, concern written on every face. She let out a whimper, her heart breaking but her head telling her she deserved it. "I can't tell you because you'll hate me for it."

"Rowan," Julian spoke, his voice gentle and pleading. "Just tell us. I promise we are all here for you."

Rowan wanted to run up to her room and lock herself in there, but she fought the urge, just wanting to get rid of this feeling she'd been carrying around since the accident. The only way to do that was to tell them. She took and a deep breathe and opened up. "The day of the accident, Michelle and I were in her room talking…"

_Rowan was fuming. Anger surged through her and she could swear her blood was literally boiling. She threw the door open and found Michelle in her room, getting ready to go out. They had gotten back from school about an hour ago, but Rowan was still pissed about what had happened right after school. She thought she would get over it, but she hadn't so she decided to confront her sister about it. _

_"Hey Row, what's up?" Michelle asked innocently. She was unaware of her sister's mood, not realizing she had done anything wrong. Rowan balled her hands into tight fists. _

_"What do you think you were doing with Adam today?" Rowan asked, her frustration spilling over into her tone. Michelle gave her a puzzled look._

_"Who?" _

_"Adam! The guy you were flirting with today. The guy I_ _like!" Rowan's voice got louder and she had to remember other people in her house might hear her if she kept that up. That was the last thing she wanted. _

_"Oh, that guy? Come on, Rowan, I wasn't flirting with him. We were just talking." Michelle went back to fixing her hair, but Rowan wasn't finished. _

_"No, you were SO flirting with him. You know I like him! Why would you do that?" Rowan's accusation made Michelle's irritation rise another notch. This was ridiculous. Michelle put her brush down and faced her sister. _

_"Rowan, I was NOT flirting with him. Besides, if you've got such a big crush on this guy, why weren't you flirting with him? Don't wait around forever. Make a move already." With that, Michelle grabbed her necklace and started to put it on. Rowan glared at her through the mirror. Her rage just about took over at that moment._

_"Would you stop it? This is serious! I like his guy and you're trying to steal him away from me! And now you're pretending like you didn't do anything!"_

_"Listen, Row, I don't –"_

_"Shut up! I have a chance with this guy and you're trying to ruin it!"_

_Michelle let her breath out in an angry huff. "You are overreacting! I don't even like this guy, ok? Just let it go, Rowan." _

_"Let it go? It doesn't matter if you don't like him. You are just doing this to make me miserable and ruin my chances with him! How can I let that go, Michelle?"_

_"Oh, grow up. You're acting like a baby."_

_Rowan desperately wished she had something in her hands to throw at her sister. "You are already the prettier sister! You can have any guy in school! Why can't you just leave the one I like alone?" The words were out before Rowan realized what she had said. She had never told Michelle she though she was prettier, but it was true. Michelle's expression softened and Rowan saw exactly what she didn't want to see._

_"Rowan, you are so beautiful and I –"_

_"Just stop, Michelle. I don't want your pity."_

_"No, listen, I just wanted to say –"_

_"Whatever! I don't care! Just back off, ok?" Rowan spat the words at her sister, more upset with herself than Michelle at the moment. "And stay away from Adam." She added angrily. Michelle's expression was a mixture of hurt and anger._

_"Get out of my room!" Michelle said in a livid tone. Rowan threw her one final look of wrath before she slammed the door behind her, vowing that this wasn't over. _

Rowan finished speaking, but refused to look at any of her family. A silence had fallen over the group.

"Then what happened?" Julian asked. Rowan wiped away the fresh tears on her face.

"Then Anna came upstairs and they left." She buried her head in her hands. "The last words I ever said to Michelle were angry, hateful words. I didn't even mean them. I was just upset." Rowan once again wanted to run to her room. She couldn't look at them, especially her mom, but her mom surprised her by speaking.

"Rowan, baby, come here." Brooke pleaded. Rowan shook her head, a sob breaking free. "No." she said.

Brooke moved from her seat to the couch Rowan was on. She knelt in front of her and took both of Rowan's hands in her own. "Sweetheart, look at me." She begged. Rowan raised her sorrowful eyes to her mom's and was surprised to find there was no resentment there. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I didn't want you guys to hate me for it. Everybody loved Michelle. I treated her like she had stabbed me in the back right before she died. I screamed at her and was furious with her all because of a stupid guy. That's my last memory of her."

"Honey, there's no way you could have known… and we're not mad at you. Rowan, why didn't you trust us enough to let us know? You know I love you –"

"But you always loved Michelle more!" Rowan said without thinking. At this point, she didn't care what she blurted out anymore. "I could never compare to how great Michelle was, especially in your eyes."

There was a moment of shocked silence. Three tears spilled down Brooke's face, but no sound came from her and she was completely still. Rowan caught Julian's eye and found a look of deep sympathy and love from him. Brooke's hands reached up and framed the sides of Rowan's face so that she looked only at Brooke.

"I love you _very_ much and I loved Michelle _very_ much, but I never favored one of you over the other. If you thought that, baby, I'm so sorry. If you thought because you were adopted we wouldn't love you as much, you were wrong. You are _my_ kid. I love you. Don't ever doubt that."

Rowan leaned forward and allowed herself to be caught in a hug. Brooke placed a kiss on Rowan's forehead and held on to her daughter with all her might. Rowan buried her head into Brooke's neck and cried until she was exhausted. Brooke stroked her red hair until she had her tears under control.

"I want you to know how proud I am of who you've become. You are a good kid, Rowan. Don't let anyone else tell you anything different. You're a talented musician and you care about the music you make. It's not just a game with you. I can see that. You've also got a good heart. I know you care about people. You just may be too stubborn to admit it sometimes." Brooke smiled as she said the last bit, hoping to brighten the mood a little. Rowan cracked a small smile in response, knowing it was true. "And Michelle knew you loved her, even when you two were at odds with each other." Brooke tucked some stray hair behind Rowan's ear. "You're going to be ok, kiddo. I promise."

Julian got up to give Rowan a hug. She started to cry as soon as he put his arms around her so he just held her until she was calm. He couldn't even express the amount of love he had for this girl. He had quickly bonded with her just like he had with Sam when she was a teenager. Somewhere along the line in both cases that fondness had turned into fatherly love. He couldn't pinpoint the moment it happened, it was more if a gradual thing. He just knew he loved both girls along with the children he'd had with Brooke more than life itself.

As Julian stood with Rowan wrapped in his arms, Brooke motioned for Carson and Lauren to come join her. With the two youngest by her, Brooke stood and put an arm around Julian and an arm around Rowan. Carson and Lauren both surrounded the three and joined in the hug until they were all clinging to each other with a love so strong for one another that they knew in their hearts the Baker family would pull through this together and emerge as a stronger family than before.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**One Month Later**

Brooke stared out the car window and watched the scenery become less and less familiar as they drove farther away from Tree Hill. She turned to face Julian, his eyes fixed on the road. He glanced at her for a brief second and smiled, reaching for her hand. The back seats of the car were quiet. Brooke looked back to see if the kids had fallen asleep. Rowan and Carson were in the captains seats, awake but silent. Rowan was listening to her iPod and her eyes were gazing out the window. Carson had a book open in his lap, looking very engrossed with it. Only Lauren, in the very back seat, had fallen asleep. Brooke's heart surged with joy at the sight of her peaceful slumber. It had taken several weeks but the nightmares had finally stopped.

Rowan caught Brooke eyes and turned the volume down on her iPod a little to ask a question.

"Are we there yet?" a wicked smile lit her face as she voiced this. They had gone the whole car ride thus far without anyone asking that. Brooke shot her an uninterested look. Rowan only smiled.

"Just kidding, Mom. But seriously, when are we going to get there?"

"About another hour, I think." Brooke faced the front again and watched the world outside flash past them. They were headed to Lucas and Peyton's summer cottage to spend a week there as a family. They had talked to Sam and she had taken the week off of work to drive down from Charlotte and join them. The kids were happy to get a week off of school, although Rowan was told she would have to work her butt off to catch up since she had already missed some school not too long ago. Nonetheless, they were all going to be there. A family vacation was just what they needed.

Brooke let her mind wander as they drove. _Lucas and Peyton_. She thought back to the time not too long ago when she spoke to them for the first time since she had lashed out at Anna. It was about a month ago…

_It was a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon. Keith and Harrison had gone to shoot hoops at the river court with some friends as was their usual Saturday routine. Anna was normally out with friends, but since she was still grounded, she was at home with Sawyer and Peyton today. _

_Sawyer was on the couch, watching Saturday cartoons with the family dog, Gatsby. The golden retrieve wasn't aloud on the couch – that was Peyton's rule – but Sawyer had coaxed him up next to her anyway. His head was in her lap and she was idly petting him while her attention was stuck on Tom and Jerry. Suddenly, the door bell rang and Gatsby raised his head, letting out aloud bark. _

_"Hush, Gatsby!" Sawyer scolded. The dog jumped off the couch and ran to the door, continuing to bark. Sawyer went to answer the door, grabbing Gatsby's collar so he wouldn't jump all over the visitor. When Sawyer opened the door, she saw her Aunt Brooke standing there, seeming rather nervous. She hadn't seen her in a little while._

_"Hi, Aunt Brooke!" Sawyer exclaimed, happy to see her well-loved aunt. She wrapped her small arms around Brooke's waist. Brooke, a little surprised, returned the hug. This wasn't the welcome she had expected, but she assumed it was merely because Sawyer was too young to know what was going on. _

_"Sawyer Joy, who's at the door?" Peyton called out just before she rounded the corner into the entryway. She froze in place when she saw Brooke. _

_"Oh…" Peyton said awkwardly. Her expression hardened, which Brooke first assumed to be in anger, but realized it was more of a defensive look. "Hello, Brooke."_

_"Hi, Peyton." Brooke said nervously. The last time she had seen her best friend was right after she had practically called Peyton's seventeen-year-old daughter a murderer. _

_"Sawyer, could you go upstairs and play in your room?" Peyton asked the girl, even though it was understood to be more of a command._

_"But, Mom, I want to stay and –" _

_"Now, please." Peyton's voice was firm and Sawyer sulked off to her room. When she was out of ear shot, Brooke gave a week smile and spoke._

_"Is Anna here?" _

_"Why, Brooke? You want to tell her it's her fault for everything else going wrong in the world? I think you've already done enough damage to her." _

_"Look, Peyton, I'm so sorry! I never meant to say those things to Anna."_

_"But you were obviously thinking those things! In your mind, Anna is the reason Michelle is gone! Those words didn't come from nowhere. You had already thought them beforehand."_

_"At the time, I did sort of blame her. I admit it. But Peyton, I was just delirious with grief. I couldn't think straight. I've regretted my words ever since that day. I wanted to come and apologize to Anna." _

_"Brooke, you blamed her for the accident! After she was already blaming herself!" Peyton bit her lip to keep from crying. "Do you know how much that hurt her?"_

_"I know. Peyton, I'm sorry. I came here today to make things right."_

_Peyton let out a frustrated sigh. "Brooke, you hurt me too. You're my best friend and you told my kid – who you have been like a second mother to – that it was her fault her best friend was dead. Brooke, you put my daughter through hell all over again." _

_"Peyton, I messed up. I don't know how else to say it other than I'm sorry. I'll do anything I can to make it up to you and Anna." _

_Peyton looked away, her expression giving away her troubled thoughts. When her eyes met Brooke's again, Brooke saw an all-too-familiar pain reflected in Peyton's eyes. She was hurting over the pain Anna was going through, the same way Brooke was over her kids' troubles. It wasn't easy to watch your kid go through hell and not be able to help them. Peyton saw the understanding in Brooke's eyes. More importantly, she saw the deep regret. _

_Footsteps clamored down the stairs. Anna appeared in the room, about to say something, but whatever it was, she soon forgot it. Her mouth dropped open a little in surprise. Brooke could see the pain she had afflicted on Anna. The girl tried to mask it, but it appeared for a moment before she could control her emotions. Brooke looked to Peyton, silently asking if it was ok to speak to Anna. Peyton nodded almost imperceptibly, but Brooke saw it for the approval that it was. _

_"Anna," Brooke began, her voice tight with emotion. She felt the tears come, but did nothing to try and stop them. "I came here to apologize. I'm so sorry, hon. What I said wasn't true. I don't blame you for Michelle's death. I never should have said it was your fault. Can you ever forgive me?" Brooke paused, watching the girl she loved so much but had hurt so deeply. Anna felt utterly overwhelmed by Brooke's sudden appearance and even more with her apology. Brooke spoke up again. "I never meant to hurt you. I was only thinking of myself and my own pain. You were just the one who I took it out on. That was wrong of me. You were already going through enough." Brooke let out a small cry and whispered pathetically. "I'm so sorry." _

_Anna had tears of her own filling her eyes. Her chin quivered as she held back a sob. Her eyes briefly flickered to her mom and then took a small step in Brooke's direction before rushing at her, throwing her arms around Brooke._

_Brooke squeezed Anna tight in response, wondering to herself how she could have even been so cruel to hurt this girl. Anna's forgiveness was just as surprising. This girl truly was amazing. She had gone through so much, but she was still staying strong. Brooke's tears turned to ones of joy as she felt like life was as good as it could be without Michelle. There would be part of her that always ached for her daughter, but she was feeling the first signs of happiness in her life. _

Brooke leaned back in the car seat and smiled at the realization that she really was on her way to being happy again. She and Julian were doing good, stronger than ever. The kids were pulling through as well. They were all leaning on each other to survive this. Brooke had even cleared things up with Peyton and Anna. Lucas and Peyton had graciously offered the cottage to Brooke and her family for a week. As for Anna, Brooke couldn't even begin to describe how much she admired Anna Scott's strength, but it was something that could be expected, considering her parents. Anna often reminded Brooke of a young Peyton not just in looks. The girl was exactly like her mom at times.

In the back seat, Lauren woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She looked out the window at the unfamiliar landscape. "Hey Mom, are we there yet?"

**ok, so what did you think? PLEASE leave a review. Also, I'll probably be wrapping this story up in a chapter or two. However, I do have some ideas for a sequel, but i'll only write it if people are actually interested in reading it. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, here it is. The final chapter. A special thank you to those who stuck with this story to the very end and left me many wonderful reviews after each chapter. You guys made my day every time. Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter Eleven**

Lucas stood on the sidelines, watching his team in action. Time was almost up and the girls easily had the game in the bag. Still, the girls kept up the same intensity as if the game was tied. The opposing team was looking tired and defeated. Lucas noticed that his girls were not nearly as worn out even though they had been working hard. Those pre-season workouts were still paying off. The ball was passed to Sophie and she took a shot. It swished and the crowd cheered like crazy.

"Nice basket, Sophie." Lucas commented. His niece turned and flashed him an overconfident smile. She was good and she knew it too. In that moment, Lucas saw a glimpse of young Nathan Scott, believing he could take on the world with his incredible talent for the sport. Basketball was his whole life at one point and the same could be said for Sophie now. As a freshman, she made the varsity team and wowed many. Now as a sophomore, she had been chosen as co-captain of the team and continued to amaze her fans with her talent.

The buzzer sounded, ending the game. Lucas clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Good game, ladies."

Brandon made his was out of the packed gymnasium, breaking free from the crowd and heading outside into the crisp night. It was nice to be able to breathe. He looked around for his sister's car. She wouldn't be out for a while, but he would rather wait for her by the car than inside. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to get his license. Always getting rides with Sophie or his parents was getting old, especially when Sophie ditched him to hang out with her boyfriend. He walked across the parking lot after finally spotting Sophie's car.

"Hey, Scott!"

Brandon spun around to find the owner of the voice. His face broke into a smile when he was who it was.

"Rowan! When did you get back?"

"A few days ago. I've been working my butt off to get caught up in school so I've been pretty busy."

"So you came to the game to give your brain a rest?"

"Exactly. I'm not sure how much of my brain is left at this point. Trig is just about killing me."

"I'd offer to help, but with all the things I inherited from my mom, math skills wasn't one of them."

"That's ok. I'll manage somehow." Rowan watched a group of students walk passed, talking excitedly about the game. "That sister of yours can draw a crowd. She's going to go far, that's for sure."

"Yeah, she will. It just comes easily for her, I guess. Basketball had always been a big part of her life."

Rowan nodded, but didn't say anything else. Brandon stuffed his hands in his pockets and cocked his head a little to the side.

"So, now that you are back, are you ready to come back to the band? It hasn't been the same without you these past few weeks. The music sucks, no joke."

She smiled at his sincere pleading. "Of course. I've missed the music. And it better suck without me." Brandon smiled in return, having realized just how much he had missed the old Rowan.

"Anyways," Rowan continued. "I'm going to head out. Do you want a ride? Sophie could be in there talking for who knows how long." Brandon shot her a look that said he knew this from experience and wholeheartedly agreed to her offer.

Sophie said goodbye to her teammate and grabbed her gym bag. She looked at her watch and knew Brandon was going to kill her. He hated when she made him wait forever. Her phone went off and she flipped it open to find a text from him and sighed with relief at his message. "Thank you, Rowan." She mumbled to herself.

She was almost out of the school when someone grabbed her by the arm and tugged her close, holding her captive in his grip. Sophie looked up into the mischievous eyes of her boyfriend. Her heart had been pounding from the unexpected jolt, but now it sped up at the nearness of Wendell Moss.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked half-angry, half-teasing. Wendell ignored the question, smiled wickedly, and kissed her.

"Let's get out of here." He whispered. Sophie grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the school and into the dark night.

* * *

Sophie stumbled into the pitched black house after saying goodbye to Wendell. The lights flicked on and she froze. Standing in the room was her father and he looked none too pleased with her. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Hi, Daddy. We won our game tonight."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" His stern tone told her she wasn't going to get away with much this time.

"It's not that late."

"It's four hours past your curfew!" Nathan raised his voice, forgetting the sleeping members of the household.

"I lost track of time!" Sophie shot back, obviously irritated.

"Who were you with?"

"Wendell." Nathan didn't know why he asked. She must have been with that tool of a boyfriend of hers, which only angered him further. He took a step closer and it was then he smelled the alcohol.

"You've been drinking." His voice carried all the disappointment he felt, but Sophie just scoffed.

"_You _are going to get upset with _me_ for drinking? Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical, Dad?"

It was too late to get into that with Sophie. It was also too late to yell his ass off at her for being sassy. It was just too late.

"Go to bed. We'll continue this in the morning with your mom."

* * *

Peyton poured herself a cup of coffee before breakfast. The kids were just starting to wake up and would probably be down soon. Anna came down the stairs first.

"Hey mom, have you seen my –"

"On the counter." Peyton responded. Anna grabbed her cell phone and shook her head.

"How do you do that?"

Peyton shrugged. "I'm a mom."

Anna grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and pulled a glass down from the cabinet. As she did, Peyton worked up the courage to talk to Anna about something that had been worrying her. She decided to go with a subtle approach. "Hey Anna, do you have any plans for the day?"

"I don't know. I'll probably just do something with Jeremy later."

"You're spending a lot of time with him. Are you two getting serious?"

"Mom, we're just friends."

"Ok, but he seems like a nice young man so if things did change, I'd be ok with that."

"I'm glad to see I have your blessing." Anna said sarcastically. Peyton took a deep breathe and carefully worded her next sentence.

"Well, if you want to borrow the car to do something with Jeremy today, that's fine."

Anna froze partway to drinking her orange juice and set the glass down firmly on the counter. She turned with hurt eyes to her mom. "I don't want to borrow the car." She said in an even, steady tone that covered the raging emotions inside of her. Peyton expression turned sympathetic.

"You have to start driving eventually."

"I'm not ready!" Anna's anger flared.

"Baby, it's been over a month."

"No! I said I'm not ready!" She stormed out of the room and Peyton heard the back door open and slam shot.

* * *

"You're not allowed to see Wendell Moss anymore."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Your mom and I feel he's a bad influence on you. So from now on, you're not going to see him. Also, you're going to check in with us every time you go somewhere and tell us who you will be with. You're not going to drink anymore when you're out with your friends. And if we find out that you lied about anything or that you have in fact been with Wendell, you'll be in more trouble than ever before."

"This is ridiculous!"

"Your behavior has been out of control! I suggest you get your act together or the next step is banning you from basketball."

Sophie's look was a mix of outrage and disbelief. "You can't do that! My team needs me! We're heading into the playoffs next week!"

Nathan looked down at his unruly child and spoke in a calm, controlled voice. "Then you better not step out of line anytime soon."

Sophie glared at him and fought the urge to cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her tears. "I'm going to go to my room and call my friend Melanie. Then I'm going to go to her place where I won't be treated like a felon. Is that alright with you, _Master_?" Every word was dripping with loathing. Nathan's heart sunk. It wasn't like he wanted to be this hard on her, but he didn't see another choice. She was too much like him and it scared him. Something had to change.

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you for telling us."

Sophie lifted her chin in defiance, spun around, and calmly walked towards the stairs. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her act like an out-of-control teenager. If she wanted to get back at them, it would have to be crafty and sneaky.

After she was gone, Nathan turned to Haley, who had been silent through the whole ordeal. "I'll talk to her tonight after she's had a chance to cool off." Haley said.

"I don't know what we should do about her, Hales. She's worse than Jamie was at this age."

* * *

Peyton picked up the phone and speed dialed her best friend. Brooke picked up on the second ring.

"What's up, P. Sawyer?"

"I need to talk to you, Brooke."

"I'll be over in ten minutes."

"Thanks." Peyton hung up, feeling a little better. It was so great to have her best friend back in her life. Brooke never let her down.

When Brooke arrived, with Lauren tagging along to play with Sawyer, Peyton pulled her into the kitchen to talk and let the little girls go upstairs.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked, her concern evident.

"It's Anna. She hasn't driven the car yet. She uses every excuse possible not to drive, but it's clear she's just afraid to. I know she needs time, but I just don't want her to never be able to move on from this. I want her to be able to go out and have fun with her friends and not have to worry about if she's going to get there safely. She's been riding her bike everywhere, but if she gets invited somewhere that's a little far, she'll turn it down because she doesn't feel up to biking there. I don't want her to hold on to this. I want her to feel free again."

"I understand. Rowan held onto a lot that I didn't know about at first, but she's finally pulling around. It's hard to watch your kids and feel like you can't do anything to help them. Just be there for them, Peyton. Let them know they are the most important thing to you. Listen to them when they want to talk."

* * *

Jeremy got Anna's text and drove to the park to meet her. He found her bike on its side by the bottom of the hill and could just see the top of her head from where he stood. When he reached her, he sat down next to her and just waited for her to speak.

"My mom told me I could borrow the car today. It was her way of saying she thinks I need to start driving again."

Jeremy nodded, not sure what to say. He wished Anna would be able to move on, to get healed from the pain of loosing her friend, but it certainly wasn't a quick process.

"Was it easy for you to get into a car again after what happened to Jason?" Anna wanted to know. Her eyes bore into his, hoping to find some sort of comfort in what he was about to say.

"The first time I got in a car after the accident was when my uncle gave us a ride home from the hospital and it was morning so I didn't have to worry about drunk drivers. I wasn't that scared, but it was a different situation than yours. You were the one driving so you feel like you could have changed the outcome if you had done things differently. My mom was more affected by the accident than I was. She didn't let me sit in the front seat for a long time – even though I was fifteen – because she felt she could keep me safer in the back. She blamed herself for letting Jason sit there in the first place. She felt that if she had kept us both in the back seat, Jason would still be here, but she was wrong in thinking that. She had no way of knowing that drunk driver would be out on the road. The only one to blame for Jason's death is the drunk driver." Jeremy paused to see how Anna was taking this. She was quiet, her face somber and pensive. "Anna, you had no way of knowing that car would run the red light. Nobody in that situation could have reacted in a way that would avoid the crash. You are not to blame for Michelle's death. And you shouldn't live in fear that if you get behind the wheel again, you'll get hit by someone running a red. Life is too short to always live in fear."

Jeremy fell silent, wondering if he'd said too much again. Anna didn't say anything, didn't move. Jeremy thought for a moment that maybe she was mad at him, but she suddenly leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It was then he realized she was crying. He pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her in hug and she cried into his neck.

They sat like this for a long time. Eventually Anna began to calm, but still neither moved. It was at this time that Jeremy saw his perfect opportunity to tell Anna how he really felt about her. He'd never felt like this about anyone and he hoped they would be more than just friends.

"Anna?" He wanted to kill himself for how unsteady his voice sounded.

"Yeah?" She raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you."

"I'm listening."

"Well…"

Her phone went off. It caused both of them to jump and Anna reached into her pocket and answered it. Jeremy tried to pull himself together and think of the right words to say. When she hung up, she smiled apologetically and said her mom wanted her to come home. "She said she's been worried about me since I let the house this morning. I need to go home for a bit." She got to her feet. "Oh, before I leave, what were you going to tell me?"

"Nothing." Jeremy said with an assuring smile. "It was nothing."

"Ok, well I'll see you later."

"Oh, I have my first track meet tonight. Are you going to come?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great. See you then."

"Bye, Jeremy."

As she walked away, Jeremy let out a sigh. There had gone his perfect opportunity.

* * *

Anna walked through the back door and spotted her mom and Aunt Brooke in the kitchen.

"Hey, Aunt Brooke." Anna smiled. Brooke pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, Girly."

Peyton looked at Anna and could tell she had been crying. "Are you ok, Babe?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Peyton took a deep breath. "Honey, I wanted to apologize for ambushing you today with the whole car thing. I know you need time. If you ever want to talk about it or anything at all, you know I'm here for you. Always." Peyton framed Anna's face in her hands and looked deeply into the green eyes that so closely resembled hers. "I love you so much."

"Mom," Anna felt tears start to well up in her eyes. "I love you, too. And I'm not mad at you anymore. Somebody told me that life isn't meant to be lived in fear. So I was wondering if you would like to go for a drive… with me."

Peyton squeezed Anna so tight in response. "Are you sure?" Peyton asked. Anna nodded and turned to Brooke. "What about you? Will you come, too? I want both of you with me."

"Of course, Girly."

Anna grabbed her keys and all three climbed into the car. Sitting behind the wheel, Anna gripped it tightly and took a moment before starting the car. Peyton reached over and squeezed her tense hand.

"It's ok. We're right here. You're going to be fine."

"Yeah, I can do this." Anna told herself out loud. With that, she turned the car on and backed out of the driveway.

* * *

Jeremy was stretching before his race, scanning the crowd for Anna. He started to think that maybe she wasn't coming, but then she walked up to the bleachers took a seat next to her friend Tracy. She spotted him and waved. He flashed her a huge smile. Next to Anna, Tracy leaned over and whispered something to Anna. Jeremy, content now that Anna was here, let his mind get focused for the race.

"Is there something going on between something you and Jeremy?" Tracy asked Anna eagerly. Anna laughed nervously.

"No, no we're just friends." She said. Tracy smiled.

"But you like him, don't you?" Tracy teased. Anna groaned.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes, that's why I'm surprised you two aren't together already. Why haven't you said anything?"

"I don't know." Anna gave Tracy a tortured expression. "I guess I just don't want things to get screwed up between us. I need Jeremy in my life right now."

"Anna!" Sophie came up to her cousin. "I need you to do me a huge favor."

"Hey, Soph. I'm doing good. Nice to see you too." Anna said with mock politeness

"Sorry, I'm a little on edge right now. How are you really?"

"I'm fine. How did you know I was here?"

"It's the first track meet. I figured you'd be here to see Jeremy." Sophie said it in such a way as if it was common sense to know that. Tracy shot Anna an "I told you so" look.

"Alright, what do you want, Sophie?"

"My parents have me on a tight leash. They won't let me do anything with Wendell. I told them I was going to the track meet with you and then I called Wendell and told him to meet me here. If my parents call you, I need you to tell them I'm with you."

"Why didn't you just call me to ask this? Why actually show up?" Anna wanted to know.

"I need witnesses to see that I was actually here." Sophie stated. "I just need you to tell my parents I was here with you if they ask. It's only a half-lie because right now, I am here with you."

"Sophie, I don't know –"

"Please, Anna. If it was your parents banning you from Jeremy, I would lie for you!"

"Fine, but you owe me. And don't do anything stupid!"

"Thank you!" Sophie squealed. "I got to go. I'm meeting Wendell by the south parking lot. Thanks, Anna!" She was gone before Anna could even tell her to behave.

"You and your cousin are so different." Tracy said with a laugh. Anna had to agree.

"Well, our dads are pretty different, but they still manage to get along. So Sophie and I are kind of close, compared to most cousins I guess. We used to always do stuff together but then we got into high school and she had her friends and I had mine and we just don't hang out as much." Anna turned her attention back to the track. "Look, Jeremy's about to start!"

Jeremy felt good about how the race had gone. It wasn't his best time, but he was a little nervous this time. He did have a certain someone watching him from the stands. He put his jacket on and grabbed the rest of his stuff. He looked around for her, but Anna was no where to be seen. _Maybe she left already. _It was a disheartening thought, but it appeared to be true. He made his way out to the parking lot, planning to get in his car and drive home. Someone honked their horn as he walked past a parked car and it startled him. He peered into the window, surprised to find out who the driver was. "Anna?"

She smiled and it did something funny to his heart. She rolled down the window and leaned her head out. "Get in the car, stranger."

He was stunned at first, but he soon recovered and quickly got into the passenger seat. "You're driving again." He was so proud of her. Anna's smile just got bigger.

"You're the one that got through to me. After I got home from our talk, I got behind the wheel and drove for the first time since the accident with my mom and Aunt Brooke, but I couldn't have done it if you hadn't spoken to me beforehand. You made me realize I shouldn't be afraid. So I wanted to say thank you."

The pulled out of the school and Jeremy didn't have to wonder where they were going. Can we stop somewhere along the way? I just ran and now it's dinner time and I'm starving." He pleaded. Anna just laughed. "What?"

"We're not stopping for food." Anna insisted. Jeremy groaned. "Because I packed us a picnic for the hill."

"I thought you couldn't cook." Jeremy still thought it was a nice gesture, but he wanted something edible.

"I can't. So I brought sandwiches and all other kinds of food that don't require the use of culinary skills. Trust me; you'll survive if you eat it."

When they had parked the car, Anna got out and popped the trunk. Jeremy came around to help carry.

"That doesn't look like a picnic basket to me." he laughed, picking up a plastic bag filled with food.

"Well, I don't have one, but I did bring a blanket." Anna lifted it out of the trunk and tucked it under her arm. "Ready?"

They walked up the hill together. Jeremy wanted with everything inside of him to reach out and take her hand, but he didn't want to ruin this night. It had so much promise. He just needed the right opportunity. They laid out the blanket and Anna served their very fine dining options for the night.

Anna talked and joked, feeling happier than she had in a long time, but she noticed Jeremy seemed disinterested in whatever they were talking about and didn't contribute much to the conversation. After a while, she started talking less and got more upset. She didn't know what to say to him. They always talked. Some of the time, it was really stupid, goofy stuff or other times it was about stuff that mattered, but they always talked.

"Jeremy, what's wrong?" She finally asked.

His head shot up and he looked confused. "Nothing is wrong."

"Something is. Is it the picnic? It was a stupid idea. I don't know what I was thinking."

"No, Anna, I loved it."

"Then what is it? You're acting so weird!" She was starting to get mad. "Just tell me what's going on!" It her fit of anger, she reached over and shoved him a little. "Tell me why you aren't talking to me!" She shoved him again, a little harder. This time he grabbed her hand as she started to pull away and he drew her closer to him.

"You're right. Something is wrong and here it is; I want to be with you. I just didn't know how to tell you." Jeremy was so full of relief that he'd finally been able to say it. But it soon vanished when he realized she hadn't said anything back. "Anna?" He searched her face, hoping for some sign that she was feeling the same way. He needed to know if she was ok with this.

She didn't speak. She just leaned in and kissed him. That was a good enough answer for him.

**Well? What did you think? PLEASE review! It's the last chapter so I really want to hear what y'all have to say!**

**And in case you were wondering, there WILL be a sequel, but I can't say when it will happen.  
**

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